Trump Enacts Swift Measures and Denounces Suspect as “Animal” Following National Guard Shooting Near White House

In the wake of a shooting that targeted two U.S. National Guard members near the White House, prompting a temporary lockdown in the capital, President Donald Trump has taken decisive action. The two guardsmen from the West Virginia National Guard were critically wounded in what Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described as a “targeted shooting.” The suspected assailant, identified by law enforcement as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was also shot and wounded at the scene.

President Trump responded with forceful rhetoric on Truth Social, referring to the suspect as an “animal” and vowing that he would “pay a very steep price.” Concurrently, the Trump administration has initiated a series of policy responses. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the President has ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. Furthermore, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an immediate and indefinite halt to processing all immigration requests from Afghan nationals, citing the need for a comprehensive review of security and vetting protocols. President Trump also declared his administration would review all entries from Afghanistan that occurred under the Biden administration, a pre-existing plan that has now been accelerated. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the incident is being investigated at the federal level.